The other two men in suits had disappeared, vanished, as if they’d never been there.

Bil y was sitting on the floor, Hank hunched beside him, blocking my view.

“Get her out of here, Lee,” Hank ordered, not turning to us as what appeared to be an army of uniformed officers, led by Carl, came into the room.

“Let’s go, Roxie,” Lee said into my ear and my body went stiff.

“Luke –” I started.

“He’l get taken care of, honey, let’s go,” Lee’s voice was soft as he was pul ing me back.

I started to struggle and Lee’s arm went from gentle to no-nonsense. I gave up and al owed him to pul me out of the room.

* * * * *

I was sitting on a barstool in Daisy’s kitchen, being mother henned by eight women and two g*y men. Kitty Sue and Malcolm had arrived late (thank God).

Malcolm was somewhere with the men, Kitty Sue was with us.

There was so much food on the counter at my side, it could have fed the Chicago Bears, Bul s and Cubs for a week. There were four uniformed officers helping themselves to the food.

When Lee guided me into the kitchen, I noticed Dad experiencing a fleeting relief, then he detonated, cursing and blinding. Lee went to him and careful y guided him out but we heard him yel ing al the way down the hal .

Jason fol owed them; his usual good-natured expression had again disappeared.

Detective Jimmy Marker had come and gone, taking my statement while he was there. The whole time I talked to him, Mom stood beside me holding my hand. Annette stood close behind me, taking the weight of my shoulders into her torso. At that time, it was too fresh, I couldn’t have held myself up without Annette and, like any best girlfriend would, she knew it.

Detective Marker told me Luke had a flesh wound in his arm. It was superficial and he’d be fine. He went on to tel me Bil y was going to the hospital, under armed guard, but his hand looked bad. Final y, he told me that it was Vance who shot Bil y.

“Boy’s a good shot. So’s Lee and so’s Stark. Even though he used you as a shield, you were covered. If they’d fired, none of those boys would have hit you,” Detective Marker said calmly, as if, the whole time, I had nothing to worry about.

“Stark?” I asked, confused.

“Luke. Last name’s Stark. Known by that on the street though Lee’s boys cal him Luke,” Detective Marker explained.

“How do you know they’re good shots?”

Detective Marker hesitated, shuffled a bit realizing he shared too much and final y said, “Just do.” Now, with Detective Marker gone, the activity was beginning to die down and Al y was helping herself to some Brie and apple slices while Shirleen spread a wodge of pâté on some French bread.

“Wel , Sugar, you made certain sure I’m gonna get a doozy of a write-up in the society pages,” Daisy told me on a tinkling laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

“Damn straight, Daisy-girl. Never read the society pages but I sure as hel won’t miss this one,” Shirleen threw in.

Annette’s arm came around my chest and neck and she kissed the top of my head. I leaned further into her, realizing, final y, that it was over.

Over.

Thank God.

And I breathed another sigh. This wasn’t a happy one, this one was relieved.

“I’m just glad he didn’t tear her gown or get any blood on it. I don’t know if blood washes out of satin and I don’t want to know. That is a piece of laundry knowledge I’d be happy to go to my grave without. You girls are kil er on my dresses, what with bar brawls and the like. I have to go shopping weekly to keep stocked up,” Tod added.

“That’s hardly the reason you go shopping, Tod,” Stevie put in.

Tod turned to Stevie. “Excuse me but Burgundy has to have choice. She never knows which way she’s gonna go,” Tod declared then turned to Shirleen. “By the way, is the offer open to me to borrow that necklace? It… is… fine. ”

“Sho’ ‘nuff, sweet thang,” Shirleen said.

I felt a bubble of hilarity start to rise in me but caught Indy’s eye and it disappeared. She and Jet were watching me like hawks and they didn’t think any of this was funny.

“I’m okay,” I mouthed to them.

Jet sucked in her lips. Indy looked about ready to hit the roof.

“Real y,” I said out loud.

Indy nodded her head with just a hint of a sad smile on her lips. I got the feeling that she wished she had it in her power to erase my whole history with Bil y with a wave of her magic wand.

Jet simply said quietly, “Okay.”

“What?” Mom asked, missing the byplay.

I leaned over a bit and rested the side of my head against my Mom.

“Nothing,” I said.

“Where on earth is Hank?” Kitty Sue asked and she no sooner uttered the words then the air in the room charged and the Hot Boy Brigade (plus Dad) entered the room, led by Hank.

“Uh-oh,” Al y muttered.

Annette’s arm fel away and I straightened. I would have smiled at Hank but one look at his face told me that was not the way to go.

“What’s happening now?” I asked when he was a few feet from me. I was thinking Bil y had gotten away again, visions of him bursting out of the back of the ambulance, stil on the run and after me, fil ing my head.

Hank stopped right in front of me and I tilted my head back to look at him. His face was hard and angry.

“What in the f**k did you think you were doin’ out there?” he roared.

Yes, Hank Nightingale, master of control, roared.

Hmm, seemed he was mad at me, not mad about the fact that Bil y had escaped.

Wel , at least that was good.

“Whisky –” I tried.

“Oh no,” his voice instantly dipped low, dangerously low.

“Don’t f**king ‘Whisky’ me. You walked right up to him!” My relief that Bil y was stil under armed guard was short-lived and melted instantly into anger at Hank.

Excuse me but I did not think so.

I jumped off my barstool and got in Hank’s face.

“He shot Luke!” I shouted.

“We had it covered,” Hank shouted back.

“He tried to shoot you! ” I yel ed.

“We had it covered,” Hank repeated.

“He pointed his gun at Lee!”

“We had it f**kin’ covered! ”

I put my hands to my hips. “I warned you, I wasn’t going to let anything happen to any of you and I wasn’t!” I was back to shouting.